Easter Egg Cookies

1. Stage

Cream powdered sugar and butter for cookies in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest.

2. Stage

Combine sifted flour with baking powder and salt. Sift again, then add to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, stirring after each addition until just combined. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Stage

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.

4. Stage

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. Lightly dust your hands with flour and roll 2 tablespoons dough between your palms into a 3-inch long cylinder with tapering ends. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.

5. Stage

Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are a pale straw color, about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer cookies to wire racks. Allow to cool thoroughly, about 30 minutes.

6. Stage

While the cookies are cooling, prepare icings. Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice, and warm water for lemon icing in one bowl, and combine powdered sugar, warm water, chocolate, and vanilla for chocolate icing in a second bowl. Stir both icings until smooth and thin enough to pour.

7. Stage

Put waxed paper under the racks of cookies. Pour about 1 tablespoon lemon icing over a cookie, beginning in the center and continuing around the sides until cookie is evenly coated. Repeat to frost 1/2 of the cookies with lemon icing and the other 1/2 with chocolate icing. Scoop up an icing that drips on the waxed paper and stir into the remaining icing. Use extra icing as needed to coat cookies. Let icing dry until no longer sticky, about 30 minutes.

8. Stage

Use tubes or pressurized cans of decorating icing to make your own fanciful design of flowers, geometric shapes, or Easter motifs.